


you've got the dreamer's disease

by sizhu



Category: Katekyou Hitman Reborn!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Future, Christmas Party, Future Fic, Introspection, M/M, Memories, Mistletoe, Pining, Pre-Relationship, Ten Years Later
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-25
Updated: 2019-12-25
Packaged: 2021-02-25 06:08:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,266
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21951154
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sizhu/pseuds/sizhu
Summary: How do you process memories of events you never experienced? How do you talk to someone youknowyou have a future (or at leasthad) a future with, but have otherwise never spoken to before?It took ten years and a scheming vixen of a little brother to get Dino to take the leap and find out.
Relationships: Dino/Irie Shouichi, Hibari Kyouya/Sawada Tsunayoshi
Kudos: 41





	you've got the dreamer's disease

**Author's Note:**

  * For [saunatonttu](https://archiveofourown.org/users/saunatonttu/gifts).



> Merry Christmas, Aija! This fic is for you, the light of my life, my best friend, my soul friend. I hope your Christmas is a good one. I hope the last weeks of the year are good to you, and that next year will be even better. 
> 
> And I hope you enjoy the first KHR fic I've written in three years. ♥

Dino hummed softly to himself as he inspected the simple, yet elegant black envelope. Flipping it over, he noticed that, while addressed to him, it bore no address - not that it needed one. His name was written in golden ink, penned in precise calligraphy that Dino knew had taken Tsuna at _least_ ten tries before he probably gave up and begged (or bribed) Kyouya to do it. The Vongola seal was unbroken and undamaged; a surprise, given the method of delivery.

The envelope hadn’t come alone, after all. It had been personally delivered by the Demon of Namimori. A result of another bribe, Dino suspected, and most certainly not the same bribe that got Kyouya to write Dino’s name in his careful script.

Kyouya stood in Dino’s office, leaning against the wall by the open window and looking for all the world like he’d rather be _anywhere_ else.

“You’ll let the cold in like that, Kyouya,” Dino said with an indulgent smile. Before Kyouya could retort, however, Dino continued on. “Am I correct in assuming you’re not heading back without a fight?”

“The little animal promised.”

Dino let out a soft sigh, though his smile never faltered. “Of course. And he didn’t think to ask me first.”

“Does he need to?”

“A warning would have been nice,” Dino said. “If I’d known, I would have saved you some energy.”

“I can wait until tomorrow,” Kyouya said.

“How gracious of you.” Dino couldn’t help the laugh that bubbled up out of him. “You’ve certainly matured over the years, Kyouya.”

Kyouya, wonderingly, did not bother with a response. He pushed himself off the wall, walking to the door with his hands shoved deep in his pockets. “You should reply to the little animal after reading that. He’ll want to hear from you right away.”

“Sure.” Dino smiled. “I’ll see you in the morning, then. You know the way, I expect?”

“Mn.”

Dino laughed again as Kyouya left the office. Once he was out of sight, Dino flipped the thick envelope back over. He broke the wax seal and slid the cardstock from its confines. A noise of surprise slipped from his throat. Dino expected an invitation, but not to a Christmas party. And unlike the simple elegance of Dino’s name on the envelope, Tsuna’s messy scrawl adorned the paper. The details of the Christmas party were printed in a script-like typeface, but a personal note was added: _Shouichi will be here. ♥_

Dino felt his cheeks burn even as he thumbed over the handwritten addendum. He sighed, dropping into the chair behind his desk. Tsuna didn’t need to goad him into attending. All he had to do was call and ask. This felt far too formal. This felt like a challenge.

This felt like a _threat_.

Which meant Dino had to dress nicely.

Dino wondered if Shouichi got the same threatening message. Or if Tsuna even told Shouichi that Dino would be invited.

And Dino _had_ to attend now, because Tsuna had put forth the effort of sending Kyouya of all people to deliver the invitation.

God.

Rubbing his face with a groan and a sigh, Dino picked up his phone and dialed Tsuna. He picked up on the second ring - either Kyouya had texted him or it was his freaky intuition, Dino wasn’t sure.

“ _Dino-nii_.” Tsuna’s voice was bright and happy, like they didn’t frequently message each other.

“Hey, kiddo.” Dino managed a small smile, closing his eyes. “Got your invitation.”

_“Great. I’m glad Kyouya made it safely.”_

“Of course he did.” Dino laughed quietly. “Who would dare bother Vongola’s pet demon in the middle of the night?”

 _“You’d be surprised,”_ Tsuna replied. It was subdued, like Tsuna didn’t want to think about anyone hurting his beloved Cloud - not that it was an easy feat. To date, Dino could count on one hand the people that had bested Kyouya in a fight.

“Well, regardless.” Dino hummed. “Kyouya broke into my office, safe and sound. Didn’t even set off an alarm. I sent him off to bed before I called you. What did you have to give him to get him to do the calligraphy for you?”

 _“I just asked!”_ Tsuna laughed, though it sounded more like a tinny, pitchy titter over the line. Dino could imagine the blush on his cheeks. _“Alright, I_ may _have batted my eyes at him like a Disney princess for good measure.”_

“And then bribed him with a fight to deliver it.” Dino snorted. “Scheming vixen.”

 _“Don’t be rude.”_ Tsuna sniffed. _“So. Are you coming?”_

“I’m not being rude,” Dino said. “I just would have liked a _warning_ that I’d be fighting your pet demon. That’s all.”

_“You didn’t answer me.”_

“Yeah, I’ll be there.” Dino sighed, rubbing his face again. “...Does Shouichi know you invited me? We haven’t--”

 _“I know.”_ Tsuna’s voice took on a sympathetic quality that Dino hated. _“I know you haven’t spoken to him since we dealt with the Vindice.”_

“What was I supposed to say to him, Tsuna?” Dino hissed. Panic and regret rose up like bile. He knew his voice was edging toward warbly the longer he spoke. “After those memories of the future, what was I supposed to say to someone eight years younger than me? _You’re_ eight years younger than me. What if he resents me for not talking to him about it? What if he thinks I’m a creep because of the age difference?”

_“Breathe, Dino-nii. In-two-three-four. Out-two-three-four.”_

Tsuna had gotten better at not panicking, and he’s also gotten better at working _others_ through their panic. Dino had been the one to teach him a few breathing strategies - including this one.

Dino took a shuddering breath and then followed Tsuna’s lilting voice.

 _“I promise you, he doesn’t think you’re a creep.”_ Tsuna soothed.

“How do you know?”

 _“He’s been asking about you.”_ Tsuna laughed. _“For awhile, actually.”_

“What does that mean?”

 _“Ask him yourself,_ Big Brother _. Wear something nice. Not a suit, though. Actually, ask Kyouya to help.”_

“...I’m sorry, _what_?”

 _“You heard me,”_ Tsuna sang softly. _“If you show up in a suit, you’re taking it off.”_

“Who are you and what have you done with my adorable little brother?” Dino hissed.

 _“I’ll see you at the party,”_ Tsuna hummed. _“And bring my Kyouya back exhausted.”_

“I _really_ don’t want to know.” Dino sighed. He rubbed his temple, but he still managed a small smile. “… Goodnight, kiddo. Love you.”

_“Love you, too, Dino-nii.”_

* * *

The next morning, Dino didn’t even get a chance to enjoy his coffee. He had just poured the mug and was _just_ about to add the perfect amount of creamer.

Kyouya was not one for sneak attacks, but Dino was not properly caffeinated.

After ten years, Kyouya _really_ ought to know better.

* * *

Dino dropped an exhausted, but very pleased Kyouya at Tsuna’s feet. He absolutely was not pouting. He wasn’t covered in bruises.

“This, I think, belongs to you.”

Tsuna beamed at him. “Thank you.”

“ _Don’t_.” Dino was still _not_ pouting. “You owe me a new coat.”

Horrifically, Tsuna’s bright smile only stretched wider.

 _Brat_ , Dino thought.

* * *

Dino did not get another coat. It was a fact that rankled more than Dino wanted to admit. He loved that coat. It had seen terrible, trying times with him. It was soft, warm, and comforting, like an old friend. Who cared if it was hideous? Appearance was second to practicality.

He mourned his warm, fluffy coat.

He really shouldn’t be sulking, with Tsuna’s Christmas party bustling about him. Dino should be smiling and socializing. Mingling. Not sulking.

It didn’t help much that he had yet to see any sign of Shouichi anywhere. Or maybe it did. Dino didn’t know. Instead of worrying about it, he rotated his wrist, elegantly swirling his champagne as he stared out over the courtyard, watching the sun sink over the horizon. Snow fell gently. Enough for ambience. Nothing to deter Dino from loitering on the balcony, at the very least.

The Vongola Manor was far more opulent than the Cavallone Estate, though that as largely by choice. Dino had sold off many of his father’s attempts at gaudy ornamentation, and he suspected Tsuna was _trying_ to tone down the blatant materialism here. The courtyard, at least, was beautiful. Fairy lights were strung up around the dead-dormant shrubbery. The atmosphere settled around him, and he found himself pondering the memories left over from that almost-future.

They didn’t feel like his own memories. He knew them, remembered them, but didn’t _experience_ them. When he woke one day after it all ended, unaware that it was happening at the time, it had felt like a fever dream. Ten years of memories crammed into his head in the few hours he slept. He’d woken, drenched in sweat and heaving bile.

Every so often, he thought back to the knowledge of memories but not the experience of them. Every so often, he allowed himself to think of a willowy, sleep deprived redhead. His hands, but not his hands, taking away blue-rimmed glasses and setting them aside on a desk not his own. Fingers running through messy hair before draping a fleece blanket over narrow shoulders. Leaving a bottle of water and some tylenol next to the glasses before saving anything on the computer and turning it off. Moving him would just wake him, and he got so little sleep as it was, but he would still wake up with pain in his neck and shoulders. The least Dino could do was mitigate any discomfort by predicting his needs.

Knowing all these things, but not getting to _experience_ them himself… Dino had been reticent on getting into contact with the man. And then he discovered, during the… Tournament? With the Vindice, that the _man_ he remembered-but-didn’t-experience caring for was _Tsuna’s_ age. Dino had backed off immediately, feeling the cold sweat and the bile returning.

Lost in thought as he was, Dino didn’t hear his company. A throat cleared behind him, startling him out of his reverie. He nearly spilled his champagne - would have, had he not already sipped half the glass away.

“Dino-nii.” Tsuna smiled up at Dino. “You look nice. I’m glad you listened.”

Dino rolled his eyes, adjusting the sleeves of the blazer he wore. Tsuna had said no suits, but dark wash jeans, a red button-up with the first two buttons undone, and black suit-jacket did not a suit make. He had even forgone a tie, but somehow both under and overdressed.

“Anyway,” Tsuna continued on, unperturbed by Dino’s non-response. “I think there are formal introductions to be made.”

The young boss stepped aside, revealing the very redhead that had recently occupied Dino’s thoughts.

“Dino-nii, meet Irie Shouichi,” Tsuna said. He tilted his head to Shouichi, smiling. “Shouichi, meet Dino Cavallone. Officially.”

Dino watched as Shouichi awkwardly adjusted his glasses, as Shouichi’s gaze skittered everywhere but him. Dino rubbed the back of his neck before bowing his head briefly.

“… It’s a pleasure to finally meet you, Dino-san.” Shouichi’s voice was soft, not timid but not brave, either. It barely reached Dino’s ears. If they had been inside, Dino wouldn’t have heard him.

“I think…” Dino searched for his words carefully, searched his memories-not-experiences for what he wanted. “I think, Shouichi, we might have been too well-acquainted for formalities.”

“Have been or will be?”

There was a hint of a smile on Shouichi’s face as he adjusted his glasses again. He then held out his hand. Dino took the invitation, but instead of a customary handshake, Dino pressed a chaste kiss to Shouichi’s knuckles. Champagne bubbles made him braver than he really was. He barely heard Shouichi’s breath catch. He felt Shouichi’s fingers twitch against his palm.

“You’re the expert on time travel and parallel universes, if I recall,” Dino said, returning Shouichi’s timid smile. He released Shouichi’s hand.

“As much as anyone can be,” Shouichi demurred quietly. Shyer than Dino really remembered-but-not-experienced. Another timid smile as he withdrew. “Dino-san.”

“Really, just Dino is more than fine.”

“Very well, Just Dino.” Shouichi fiddled with his tie. His cheeks were pink.

Tsuna, who had yet to leave them alone, coughed politely into his fist. “Well. I’m going to find Kyouya. There’s a sprig of mistletoe with our names on it that he’s been avoiding for the past hour. Have fun, you two~. And don’t do anything I wouldn’t do!”

Dino and Shouichi spluttered in unison. Their cheeks matched in redness. They stood there, watching Tsuna walk away with far more confidence than he ever had growing up. Dino had to wonder if Tsuna was growing into himself or if, like him, champagne made him brave. Shaking his head, Dino was the first to recover. He coughed awkwardly, focusing all his attention back on Shouichi.

“Kyouya’s created a monster,” Dino said, hoping to salvage some of his dignity. Or their conversation.

“The day Hibari-san calls Tsuna-san a carnivore is the day I eat my computer.”

Dino blinked before laughing, bright and bubbly.

“I’ll be sure to buy you a new one, if Tsuna hasn’t beaten me to it.”

“Oh.” Shouichi blinked twice, appearing startled as he met Dino’s gaze. “… Thank you?”

“Of course.” Dino smiled. “Merry Christmas, Shouichi. I’m glad to finally meet you again.”

“I--merry Christmas, Dino,” Shouichi returned, lowering his eyes demurely. “I’m sorry it took me so long.”

“So am I.” Dino offered Shouichi his arm. Warmth bloomed in his chest when Shouichi accepted the gesture. “I was afraid.”

“So was I.”

They walked back inside, leaving the balcony behind them.

And stepped, unwittingly, under a sprig of mistletoe.

**Author's Note:**

> ...yes the title is taken from a tv commercial. 
> 
> no, i am not sorry.


End file.
